Gavin Stevens (character)

Gavin Stevens is a lawyer and the county attorney in Jefferson in

He is shrewd, observant and tolerant of the quirks and foibles of his fellow Southerners. He takes part in the detection and prevention of crime in the county community, and in handling the human passions released by violence in the community.

The stories are mostly narrated by his nephew Charles (Chick) Mallison, who calls him Uncle Gavin. His best friend is V. K. Ratliff (Suratt).

He is described as heroic, idealistic, tireless, and meddlesome. He finally marries the Widow Harris, the sweetheart of his youth.^[1]

Gowan Stevens is related; he is described as Gavin's cousin in The Town and Gavin's nephew in Requiem for a Nun.^[2]

Novels with Gavin Stevens

• Sanctuary (1931)
• Light in August (1932)
• Go Down, Moses
  (1942)
• Intruder in the Dust (1948)
• Requiem for a Nun (1951)
• The Town (1957) in which he narrates Chapters 2,5,8,13,15,17,20,22
• The Mansion (novel) (1959)

Short stories with Gavin Stevens

All the stories listed here were included in the volume Knight's Gambit (1949):

• Smoke (1932)
• Monk (1937)
• Hand Upon the Waters (1939)
• Tomorrow (1940)
• An Error in Chemistry (1946)
• Knight's Gambit (1949)

Film adaptations with Gavin Stevens

In the 1961 film